Suspected SIMI activist remanded in judicial custody

An NIA court on Tuesday remanded in judicial custody till March 18 Muhammad Manzar Imam, a suspected member of banned SIMI arrested in Jharkhand in connection with an arms training camp case in Kerala in 2007.

34-year-old Imam, a native of Jharkhand, was arrested from Ranchi on Sunday. He was brought to Kerala yesterday and produced before special court judge S Vijay Kumar here this morning, NIA sources said.

They said Imam was an "important functionary" of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) in Jharkhand and had taken part in the training camp organised by the banned outfit at Vagamon in Kerala's Idukki district in 2007.

He had been absconding since then, they said, noting that six others from Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are also wanted.

NIA is likely to file a petition shortly for seeking his custody for five days, the sources said, adding that an NIA team is expected to arrive here in two days to question him.

Thirty 'hardcore activists' of SIMI from five states were charge sheeted on January 13, 2011 by NIA. They have been charged under various sections of IPC, including 124-A (sedition) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) in connection with the training camp in Kerala organised by the outfit on making bombs and use of weapons.

The accused, hailing from Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, have also been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the Arms Act, 1959 and the Explosives Substances Act 1908.

Several of the accused are lodged in Sabarmati Central Jail in Ahmedabad. They were allegedly involved in various terrorist cases in the country, including the Ahmedabad serial blasts of 2008.

According to the charge sheet, the SIMI camp was held in the first week of December 2007 to give training on making bombs and use of weapons. Initially, the case was handled by local police but since it involved terrorist activities with inter-state ramifications, the Union Home Ministry directed NIA to take up investigation.